


Drinking To The New Moon

by Yarol2075



Category: Dark Shadows (1966)
Genre: First Person Ramble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 04:39:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4550790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yarol2075/pseuds/Yarol2075
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris Jennings has a birthday drink with his brother.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drinking To The New Moon

**Author's Note:**

> I've always had a soft spot for the Jennings Twins and found it weirdly fascinating that they unintentionally foreshadowed Chris' eventual appearance by naming Tom, Tom, which means twin.

Happy birthday to us, Tom; I miss you.

Look, I know this grave is empty. Barnabas Collins let the cat out of the bag that you got turned into a vampire and he had to kill you. Twice.

I feel guilty about that second time. I _knew_ I saw you at Blair's window, but...how could I have seen you at Blair's window when everyone else I had spoken with were very adamant you were dead? I wish I had believed what I had seen instead. I don't know, maybe we could have helped one another? At the very least maybe kept you alive long enough for Barnabas to learn we're family. We're Collins, would you believe it? Well, as he puts it, we're a 'cadet' branch. But still, we're family, and Barnabas Collins will move heaven and earth to save family. He might have at least tried to save you, instead of...well...

Would you believe our great-grandfather is still alive? He's Quentin Collins and he's responsible for the mess I'm in. He's a bit of bastard to be honest. I know, I know, 'it's not nice' to call people names.' God, if you hadn't been so _nice_ yourself, Tom. You would have been annoying.

On the other hand, Quentin's also who I nicked this bourbon from. Heh, yeah, I can hear you, 'getting drunk never solves anything.' You always were the pragmatic, optimistic one. Always doing the right thing. Always telling me, writing me to come home, that whatever it was that was troubling me, we could shoulder it together.

I miss you.

I should have come home. I was afraid I would hurt someone you see, and I didn't want to hurt you and Amy, or Mom and Dad when they were alive. But I should have come home. You would have thought of something, you always did.

Oh god, I know, you would have built a bunker for me in the back yard. Told everyone it was a bomb shelter. That's what you would have done. And it might have worked.

You should have been born first. God know everyone usually thought you had been - Mom and Dad's dutiful, responsible son, taking care of everyone in the family, taking responsibility for Amy like you had to. You were raising her even before they died.

You would've handled _this_ better. Being a werewolf. Yeah, you would've. Look at how you handled being a vampire. I know they all think you picked Dr. Hoffman because she looked vulnerable and alone, but I know you. I know better, I know _you_. You, god, you'd never been further away from home than Bangor, and you would need someone who had more experience with the wider world if you didn't want to stay in Collinsport. And you probably didn't. Small village. Someone was bound to catch on if too many people started getting attacked. Better to go someplace more populated.

If you had only known.

It doesn't hurt that Dr. Hoffman has nice legs either.

Of course I noticed that, Tom. You always noticed that.

So, intelligent, attractive and worldly woman? Of course you were going to go for her. She would be a perfect companion. You two would have probably, I don't know, probably taken over the world somehow.

Oh god, I miss you.

We were supposed to be together, a team. I was going to be the architect and you'd build whatever I dreamed up.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way.

We're supposed to be here together getting drunk under the new moon.

Look, I'm gonna sit down here and watch the sunrise. If you can spare any wisdom on how to go on, I'm listening…


End file.
